1979 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II saloon

I purchased the car in January 2002 as a replacement for a white Rolls-Royce. Most brides these days realise that a white coloured car serves a poor backdrop for a wedding dress which is invariably white, cream or very light in appearance. She was delivered to Bentley dealer Jack Barclay Ltd on the 3 September 1979, some two years after her manufacture, and has a very small number of owners. This classic car is presented in light blue - Caribbean Blue to be precise - very romantic and very much in keeping with wedding occasions. She has only covered 8,000 miles in the last 11 years and her condition is outstanding. The wood inside is immaculate and the back seat (or should I say settee - it is so roomy inside!) has hardly been used.

The Rolls-Royce company at Crewe released to the public the Shadow I, their most innovative model, in October 1965. Production continued until 1977, whereupon the Shadow II took over and lasted until 1980, making this car one of the very latest Shadows ever made. In its day the Shadow, as with all Rolls-Royces, was considered the epitome of luxury and effortless style, with a hefty retail price of £43.669. She possesses a 6.75 litre engine that develops 189 bhp and she consumes a gallon of petrol every 14 miles. Naturally she has a 3 speed automatic gearbox based on a GM design, can reach 60 m.p.h. in 10.6 seconds and has a top speed of 116 mph. Her overall length is approximately seventeen foot six and she weighs 4,752 lbs - well over two tonnes. The Spirit of Ecstasy mascot is worth somewhere in the region of £175 - even a replacement ashtray is an expensive item at £150. Every piece of wood in the car has on the back of it the body number so that a correct piece can be located as a replacement. The grille, like all Rolls-Royce grills even today, is handmade. The craftsman who made it has stamped his initials on the back. There were only 8,425 Silver Shadow IIs ever made and due to their high quality, most are still on the road today.

All Rolls-Royces enjoy the company of the flying lady - the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot seen atop the bonnet grille. The Spirit of Ecstasy was designed by the painter sculptor C S Sykes and was first seen on a Rolls-Royce in 1911. Rolls-Royce decided at the time to discourage their car owners "from putting various mascots on the bonnets of their cars. Owners were attaching golliwogs, policemen, teddy bears and the like". The inspiration for the statue was Eleanor Thornton, the personal assistant to Lord Montague by whom she later had a daughter. She was to die when the liner they were travelling on was torpedoed on the 15 December 1915 - her husband was rescued but was sadly unable to hold onto her. There are many such interesting stories that are told in connection with the history of this famous car making company!

Click here to see the Rolls-Royce in action at past weddings.

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